SBIR Phase I: High Performance Cement Additive from an Agricultural Byproduct

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research project addresses the manufacturing and testing of an agricultural byproduct (biomass) as a high performance cement (HPC) for highway applications. There are several benefits of using this processed byproduct, such as significantly increasing the compressive strength, reducing heat of hydration to prevent concrete cracking, and enhancing resistance to chemical weathering due to harsh environmental conditions. The United States generates 7.1 million tons of this biomass and the environmental pollution associated with heap burning results in a significant annual cost to the farmers for its disposal. Therefore, there is an urgent need to make value-added products utilizing this biomass. Furthermore, several state governments including federal agencies, e.g., U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration have mandated the use of HPC for structure durability and longevity. The proposal objective is to process this byproduct for HPC. Commercially, this application addresses drawbacks of current competing products such as the difficulty in handling fine dust particles, dark coloration, product availability, performance and cost; hence, the proposed byproduct will compete very well in the marketplace. This project could lead to enhanced revenues to the farmers, and create rural jobs without displacing workers from other industries. Additionally, the technology can be licensed to other countries producing this agricultural byproduct.